METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PORTABLY MEASURING CALORIE CONSUMPTION USING IDC SENSOR

• US 20110172506A1
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, SANG-HUN
• Application Number:
  US13/004,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172506A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/307
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4261 Evaluating exocrine secretion production A61B3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for portably measuring calories, the method including determining if an electric field is formed through an Inter-Digital Capacitor (IDC) sensor in contact with skin; extracting an amount of sweat generated from the skin using the formed electric field; and measuring the calories using the extracted resultant value.

Claims

1. A method for portably measuring calories, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if an electric field is formed through an Inter-Digital Capacitor (IDC) sensor in contact with skin;

(b) extracting an amount of sweat generated from the skin using the formed electric field; and

(c) measuring the calories using the extracted resultant value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving input of a user'"'"'s at least one information item in order to measure the calories.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises applying a voltage between two electrodes included in the IDC sensor in contact with the skin;

and determining if the electric field is formed in a preset range.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a formation range of the electric field varies according to a thickness of the two electrodes included in the IDC sensor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein in applying the voltage, the sweat generated from the skin functions as a dielectric substance to apply the voltage.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises:

sequentially extracting the amount of the sweat generated from the skin within a preset time; and

measuring the calories by calculating a capacitance by the extracted amount of the sweat generated, and referring to information on a change in the capacitance.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (c), the calories are measured by relating the amount of the sweat generated, measured using the IDC sensor, with bio-signals measured by another sensor.

8. An apparatus for portably measuring calories, the apparatus comprising:

an Inter-Digital Capacitor (IDC) sensor in contact with skin, which is for measuring an amount of sweat generated from the skin;

a control part for controlling the IDC sensor to perform or stop measurement, and to transmit a measured resultant value;

a display part for displaying the measured resultant value received from the control part, in real time; and

a memory part for storing the measured resultant value received from the control part.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an input part for receiving a user'"'"'s at least one information item in order to measure the calories.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the IDC sensor forms an electric field using two electrodes included in the IDC sensor in contact with the skin, and measures the calories based on the amount of the sweat generated from the skin.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein a voltage is applied between the two electrodes in contact with the skin, and the electric field is formed in a preset range.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein a formation range of the electric field varies according to a thickness of the two electrodes.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the voltage is applied using the sweat generated from the skin as a dielectric substance.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the IDC sensor comprises a protective coating mounted on two electrodes in order to inhibit a short caused by the two electrodes'"'"' contact with the skin.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the IDC sensor sequentially measures the amount of the sweat generated from the skin within a preset time, calculates a capacitance using the measured amount of the sweat, and measures the calories by referring to a change in the capacitance.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, which measures the calories by relating the amount of the sweat generated, measured using the IDC sensor, with bio-signals measured by another sensor.